What it means This label on a product means its producers and traders have met internationally agreed Fairtrade standards. Farmers and producers in developing countries receive a designated fair price for their produce, helping provide security and stability as well as additional funds to develop their communities and invest in things such as education and health care.

Why it falls short Certification is generally given to what are known as “producer organisations” rather than individual farmers. Producer organisations can be large, comprising of hundreds or sometimes thousands of farmers. For this reason, when compliance with the standard is being verified a “group certification” model is followed, where the producer organisation itself is audited, in addition to random checks of a representative sample of individual farmers. This means some farms or farmers may never be visited.

Program/organisation structure Fairtrade Labelling Australia and New Zealand (FLANZ) is a not-for-private-profit member organisation and income tax-exempt charity, overseen by a board elected by FLANZ member organisations and Oxfam New Zealand, Friends of the Earth Australia and Christian World Services New Zealand. The board and membership of FLANZ are independent of any commercial interests in the use of the Fairtrade Label. Fairtrade annual reports have details.

Program funding License fees, membership fees, and donor funding are the primary sources of income.

What it means A food product that carries the GI Symbol has had its glycemic index tested to the Australian Standard in an accredited lab. It also meets nutrition criteria for energy (calories/kilojoules), fat, saturated fat, sodium, and where appropriate, fibre and calcium. The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure of how the carbohydrate in a food affects your blood glucose levels as it’s digested, absorbed and metabolised. Low-GI foods are recommended for people with diabetes, and low-GI diets may also help those who need to lose weight.

Why it falls short The development and any subsequent reviews of the GI Symbol Program criteria have not been open to broad public consultation and therefore there’s been no formal opportunity for consumers to have input.

Program/organisation structure The GI Symbol Program is a not-for-profit scheme backed by the Glycemic Index Foundation, a collaboration between the University of Sydney, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Australia and Diabetes Australia. The GI Symbol website lists its board of directors.

Program funding License fees are the primary source of funding, with a small amount coming from fee for service (for example, providing expert review of books referencing GI).

What it means Foods bearing the tick meet the NHF Tick program’s nutrition criteria and represent choices that are lower in certain nutrients (such as saturated fat, sodium) and/or higher in others (such as fibre) than other foods in the same category.

Why it falls short Its rigorous verification process involves monthly random audits and product testing by a third party to ensure products labelled with its logo meet its nutrition criteria. However, while some products are tested more frequently it’s not required that all products be verified annually. All of its nutrition criteria will eventually be made public, but for now just 10 of the 60+ food categories are currently available. The development and subsequent reviews of these criteria have also not been open to broad public consultation.

Program criteria The tick has criteria for 60+ food categories. To date, the criteria for 10 of these categories have been published.

Scheme/organisation structure The Tick program is governed by the Heart Foundation, a not-for-profit, non-government organisation. As a charity it mainly relies on donations to continue research, education and health promotion work. See the list of honorary National Board Members.

Program funding Tick is a not-for-profit program. Licensee fees are the sole source of income for the tick and they cover all costs associated with the program. No donations to the Heart Foundation are used to fund the Tick.

What it means Use of this logo indicates the product meets organic standards, which include stringent animal welfare and environmental standards. Use of synthetic chemicals such as pesticides or herbicides is prohibited. There are no genetically modified inputs, and the organic philosophy incorporates a respect for the natural order of seasons and animal behaviour. Animals are free-range and there’s no use of growth promoters such as steroids or hormones.

Why it falls short There’s no information on the OGA website about the products it certifies; to get this information, you need to contact the OGA office directly.

Program funding BFA is a not-for-profit organisation with the aim of progressing the sustainable development of the organic industry. BFA is funded by membership fees and promotional contributions along with promotional initiatives and sponsorships for publications and other activities. OGA charges for its certification services and this funds its operating costs.

What it means The Rainforest Alliance Certified seal indicates all or some of the ingredients come from certified sustainably managed farms or forests that meet standards for environmental protection, social justice and economic management.

Why it falls short Rainforest Alliance ticked all boxes bar one – we initially struggled to make contact with this program in Australia to send out our survey, and it’s difficult for Australian consumers generally to call the program for information or to give feedback.

Program/organisation structure Rainforest Alliance is an international environment and sustainable development organisation. It owns the rights to the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal, which can be awarded to farms that meet the standards for sustainable farming set by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) or to forests that meet Forest Stewardship Council standards. SAN is a coalition of conservation groups, including the Rainforest Alliance. The coalition develops and owns the SAN standards. The website contains annual reports and information about the Board of Directors and other key staff members.

Program funding The Rainforest Alliance is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt charitable organisation under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States of America. The Rainforest Alliance Certified program is primarily funded through government funding (for example USAID, GTZ); foundation grants (for example Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation); funding via multilateral bodies such as the UNDP; and certification fees paid by farmers. The Rainforest Alliance does not earn any fee from the use of the seal on end products.

Consumer contact details Phone: No dedicated phone number for Australian consumers. Email: info@ra.org

What it means Eggs and pork stamped with the RSPCA “Paw of Approval” have been produced to the RSPCA’s animal welfare standards for layer hens and pigs. These are higher than required by law or the relevant codes of practice.

Why it falls short In addition to unscheduled assessments, producers under the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme undergo rigorous routine on-site assessments at least every six months. However, the assessors are RSPCA staff, not independent third party auditors. The development and any subsequent reviews of the scheme’s standards have not been open to broad public consultation, and there’s been no formal opportunity for consumers to have input.

Program/organisation structure The scheme is governed by the RSPCA Australia Board. The board is made up of one elected representative from each of the eight state and territory RSPCAs. These individuals are elected by the membership of their state’s RSPCA body, which is made up of individual community members. RSPCA Australia is responsible for setting the standards, assessment of producers participating, or wishing to participate in the scheme, operational and administrative procedures and outcomes. See governance details.

Program funding The RSPCA and the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme are both not-for-profit. Income for the scheme comes from fees relating to initial producer approval and assessments and royalties on sale of approved products. This income is used for administration, monitoring and marketing of the Scheme and its Approved Products. All income from the Approved Farming Scheme is kept quarantined from other RSPCA income.